Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects

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1 Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects Updated 1 February 2013 Workshop for the Southwest Pacific, under the auspices of the United Nations, in support of the Regular Process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects. Brisbane, Australia, February 2013 Information for participants Note by the Secretariat I. Background 1. As recommended by the General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole in February 2011, workshops are recognized as a key mechanism by which the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment will be accomplished and States can enhance their assessment capacity. Workshops will facilitate dialogue between the Group of Experts of the Regular Process (the Group of Experts ) and representatives and experts from States and competent intergovernmental organizations. 2. Pursuant to the guidelines for workshops (the Guidelines ) adopted by the General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole on 28 June 2011, workshops are organized under the auspices of the United Nations, in coordination with the secretariat of the Regular Process, represented by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations (the secretariat ) and with the assistance of members of the Group of Experts. 3. According to the Guidelines, the objectives of the workshops are to: a. Review and evaluate all assessments considered by the participants to be relevant to the sea area under consideration and, on the basis of those evaluations, compile an inventory of assessments likely to be useful for the Regular Process. The assessments to be considered should be both those related to environmental issues and those related to socioeconomic issues. If necessary, arrangements should be initiated for access to those assessments by the Group of Experts and the secretariat of the Regular Process; b. Start building a network between experts and organizations taking part in each workshop, and the Group of Experts and the secretariat of the Regular Process; c. Identify the capacity-building needs of States taking part in the workshop needed to allow them to contribute more fully to, and benefit more fully from, the Regular Process, including identification of priorities, and identify steps that those States could usefully take to build the capacities of competent intergovernmental organizations (if any) through which the States collaborate; d. Start building capacity for integrated assessment, which could include discussing and developing: i. common information content for assessments at various scales and common approaches towards assessment methodologies; ii. approaches for scaling up assessments (national, subregional, regional, global that is, establishing how far assessments at one level can be used at other levels); and iii. reporting forms to assist the integration process, with the aim of securing coherence, consistency and comparability as far as possible; e. Consider the linkages between driving factors and the state of the marine environment as reflected in assessment.

2 4. The Australian Government will host a workshop in support of the Regular Process in Brisbane from 25 to 27 February The workshop will be held under the auspices of the United Nations. It will be supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Governments of New Zealand and France. The workshop will cover the Southwest Pacific Region. II. Venue and date of Workshop 5. The Workshop will take place at the CSIRO Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, Brisbane, from 25 to 27 February Registered participants should arrive at the precinct no later than 8.30 am on Monday 25 February. The Workshop will commence at 9.00 am in the Auditorium. Additional details regarding the venue and timetable of discussions will be provided via the workshop website ( as well as on the secretariat s website: III. Special Event: Showcasing Pacific Achievements, Monday 25 February Participants are invited to attend a poster session on Monday 25 February from 6.00 pm. The poster session aims to showcase achievements in the Pacific to date and stimulate further networking and discussion among attendees. Participants wishing to display a poster should indicate this on their registration form. The maximum available space for individual posters is 1.2 x 1.2 metres. To facilitate the exchange of information, posters should display the name and title of the participant prominently, along with a photograph and contact information. Details regarding the venue of the poster session will be provided in the provisional agenda of the Workshop. IV. Chair(s) and secretarial support 7. Pursuant to the Guidelines, host Member States should designate a chair (or co-chairs) of the workshops. Hosts may consider inviting a member of the Group of Experts to be the chair, or a co-chair, of the workshops. 8. The Australian Government, through the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water Population and Communities is providing support to organize proceedings in consultation with the secretariat of the Regular Process. V. Agenda and activities of the Workshop 9. The provisional agenda of the Workshop, together with relevant documentation, will be posted on the secretariat s website as well as the workshop website ( prior to the Workshop. Pursuant to the Guidelines, the agenda of the Workshop will include, as far as possible, the elements listed in Appendix II to the Guidelines. 10. Pursuant to the Guidelines, an important part of the Workshop will be making a start on capacity building, as well as on how to carry out integrated assessments, so that the participants to the Workshop can better understand, and contribute to, the work of the Regular Process. 11. The activities of the Workshop will take full account of the principles for the Regular Process recommended by the General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole and endorsed by the General Assembly in 2009, and the recommendations adopted by the General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole in 2010, 2011, and

3 VI. Interpretation 12. The Workshop will be conducted in English, with French interpretation services available in plenary sessions and in break-out sessions where possible. 13. During plenary, any participant may make a statement in a language other than English. In advance of that statement, the participant must provide either interpretation services or a written text of the statement in English. The interpreted version of the statement, or the written text submitted in English will be considered by the secretariat to represent the official text of the statement and will be used by the interpreters of the Workshop as the basis for their further interpretation into English. VII. Preliminary information and output of the Workshop 14. The official documentation of the Workshop will be published in English on the Workshop website as well as the secretariat s website. 15. Pursuant to the Guidelines, participants are asked to review a preliminary Inventory of assessments for the wider Southwest Pacific that will be posted to the Workshop website and be prepared to provide comments and updates for the Inventory at the Workshop. Participants should provide their feedback to regularprocessswpac@environment.gov.au no later than 18 February The output of the Workshop will take the form of a summary of discussions, including an updated Inventory of assessments for the wider Southwest Pacific, prepared by the Co-Chairs with the help of the members of the Group of Experts. Provision will be made for the participants to comment on a draft of the summary and for the final version to be revised by the Co-Chairs and members of the Group of Experts in the light of such comments. 17. An electronic copy of the final version of the summary will be posted on the secretariat s website as a United Nations document. VIII. Registration 18. UN Member States are requested to submit the accompanying registration form for each of their participants as soon as possible to both the secretariat (doalos@un.org) and the Australian Government care of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, via regularprocessswpac@environment.gov.au. 19. The deadline for registration has passed, however, late registrations will be accepted until 15 February Attention is drawn to the process for visa applications (see below, paras ). 20. The secretariat, in coordination with the Australian Government, will publish a list of participants to the Workshop. IX. Visa requirements 21. Under Australia's universal visa system, all visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Australia (other than New Zealand passport holders who will normally be granted a Special Category visa on arrival, provided they meet health and character requirements; and permanent residents of Norfolk Island who may be granted a Permanent Resident of Norfolk Island visa on arrival). For more information, see the fact sheet: Participants in the Regular Process workshop need to submit a paper-based application for a Business (Short Stay) visa (Subclass 456) as soon as possible to allow for processing. Applications for a Business (Short Stay) visa can be made at an Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. Please note that the application processing time may vary depending on a range of factors and that submitting the registration for the Workshop does not guarantee the grant of a visa. 3

4 23. All visa applicants will be required to meet certain character and health requirements as part of their visa application process. These requirements exist to uphold the safety and security of the Australian community. 24. The following links provide further information on these requirements: Your application should be submitted along with the required documentation including confirmation of registration, or a copy of your letter of invitation. For a full list of other required documentation please see: Please note that documents not in English must be accompanied by accredited English translations. 26. You must comply with your visa validity and visa conditions while in Australia. For paper-based applications, this information is available on your visa label. X. Support for delegates from developing countries: 27. Some support may be provided to participants from developing countries. Participants wishing to access this support should contact regularprocessswpac@environment.gov.au as soon as possible. XI. Arrival in Brisbane and local transportation 28. The arrival gate is on Level 2 of the Brisbane International Airport. Travel to and from the Airport is possible by train, bus, taxi or car. 29. A taxi rank is located outside Level 2 (Arrival gate). Taxi fares will vary depending on traffic conditions, arrival time, and distance to destination. As a rough guide, delegates travelling to Brisbane Central Business District (CBD) can expect to pay a fare of roughly AUD$ Coachtrans operates a bus service from the Airport to Brisbane CBD for approximately AUD$20. Online bookings can be made at The Airtrain provides a link to and from Brisbane Airport and the city, taking approximately 20 minutes. One way tickets to Brisbane CBD cost AUD$ The Airtrain departs every 15 minutes during peak hours. Trains operate between 5.00am to 9.59pm daily, seven days per week. Online bookings can be made at It is about a 30 minute drive to the city by car. A range of car hire options are available at the airport from AUD$35 per day. The car rental customer service desks are located on level 2 of the international arrivals gate. Online bookings can be made at In the city, participants may make use of local bus, train, ferry and taxi networks. XII. Getting to the venue. 34. The Ecosciences precinct at Dutton Park is located approximately 4km (5 minute drive) from Brisbane CBD. While a taxi would be the fastest option, delegates may also make use of public transport. a. From Brisbane CBD by bus: Take the 196 (Fairfield, Cultural Centre, City), or the 192 (City, South Brisbane) to Gladstone Road, Dutton Park. This should take 15 minutes and put you within 15 minutes walk of Ecosciences precinct. Taking Bus 116 (City, Mater Hill) to Annerley Rd, Dutton Park will take 15 minutes and place you 6 minutes walk from the venue. Ticket cost is estimated at $5.20. b. From Brisbane CBD by train: From Central Station in Brisbane, board the FGBN Ferry Grove to Beenleigh train on platform 1, and alight at Dutton Park station (this will take approximately 15 minutes). It is then a 15 minute walk from the station to Ecosciences precinct. Ticket cost is estimated at $

5 XIII. Climate and clothing 35. The weather in Brisbane is sub-tropical. The maximum average temperature is 29.2 C; the average low temperature is 20.4 C. In February, humidity levels are generally high. 36. Whilst summer maximum average temperatures generally linger around 30 C, the summer months have some extremely hot days. Sunscreen, hats and protective clothing is advised. 37. Casual business attire or bula shirt (Island dress) is the recommended for the Workshop. XIV. Voltage 38. Australia operates on volts, 50 hertz. Travellers with computers, shavers, tape recorders and other appliances should carry or purchase a power adapter for Australian outlets. XV. Currency 39. The monetary unit in Australia is the Australian dollar (AUD$). Delegates can obtain current exchange rates from the Reserve Bank of Australia website: XVI. Hotel accommodation for delegates: 40. Brisbane airport is approximately 40 minutes from the city. Brisbane city offers a wide range of accommodation needs from high-end hotels to motels and backpackers. Below are selections of accommodations found within the CBD (by no means exhaustive). Please note, except for those delegates from developing countries seeking support (see Section IX), all workshop participants are responsible for making their own bookings. Five star hotels: Stamford Plaza Brisbane Hotel Cnr Edward & Margaret Streets, Brisbane, Queensland 4000 Phone: Fax: sales@spb.stamford.com.au Hilton Brisbane Hotel 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000 Phone: BSBHITW/index.html Four star hotels: Rendezvous Studio Hotel on George, Brisbane 103George Street Brisbane, Queensland 4000 Phone: reservations.brisbaneog@rendezvoushotels.com The Mecure Brisbane North Quay, Brisbane, Queensland 4003 Phone: Fax: H1750-RE02@accor.com Chifley Hotel at Lennons Brisbane 66 Queen Street Mall, Brisbane, Queensland 4003 Phone: Fax:

6 XVII. First aid and health services 41. The Ecosciences Precinct has three first aid attendants on staff. There is a first aid room located on the ground level of the precinct, next to security. Levels are also equipped with first aid boxes. In the event that first aid is required, security will be contacted to organise treatment. 42. Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (Ph: ) is located at Butterfield Street, HERSTON, 9 km from the CSIRO Ecosciences Precinct. In the event of an emergency, organising staff will call for an ambulance and see that the participant is admitted to hospital. Please note, all costs incurred in the hospital or for other medical care will be the responsibility of each individual participant. XVIII. Workshop organizers Overall Coordination Travis Bover Director Marine Policy International Marine Division Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Telephone: regularprocessswpac@environment.gov.au Angela Williamson Marine Policy International Marine Division Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Telephone: (Hobart office) regularprocessswpac@environment.gov.au United Nations Annebeth Rosenboom Secretary of the Regular Process, Senior Legal Officer United Nations Headquarters New York, NY Telephone: Facsimile: rosenboom@un.org Workshop Organizing Committee: Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, United Nations (DOALOS) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) National Environment Research Program (NERP) Marine Biodiversity Hub Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Australia Pacific Islands Forum Fishery Agency Conservation International Group of Experts Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia Embassy of France Annebeth Rosenboom Micheal Shewchuk Jackie Alder Alberto Pacheco Mike Batty Ian Cresswell Nic Bax Tim Carruthers Charlotte Darlow Quentin Hanich James Movick Jonas Rupp Peter Harris Justin Whyatt Sandrine Mouchet 6